Sing Along in a Whisper
by Full Shadow Alchemist
Summary: A series of oneshots designed to remember moments that may have happened, may happen, and will. HitsuHina oneshots
1. Sing Along In a Whisper

**Anime/manga: **Bleach

**Pairing:** Hitsugaya x Hinamori

**Special Event: **Hitsugaya's birthday

**Genre: **Romance/Hurt/Comfort

**Summary: **She was stabbed in the summer, and now it's Hitsugaya's birthday, the day before winter. Will she wake up in time?

**Notes: **I hope you enjoy.

**Sing Along in a Whisper**

The party for Hitsugaya was extravagant, much to his dismay.

He never liked the dramatic. If the party was simple, unelaborated and rather quiet, he wouldn't complain. Unfortuanetly, with a lieutenant like his, such a thing would never happen. That is why he preferred his childhood in the Rukongai better than in the Seireitei.

There were ribbons and brilliant colours everywhere. He wouldn't be there if it wasn't for the fact that the party was in his office of all places.

Despite all his protests, Matsumoto had found a way to persuade him to come. She always insisted on doing things until he snapped and gave in.

That was partly why he liked his life in the Rukongai better.

The biggest reason was that Hinamori was there. She never tried to force him into anything, and never decorated if he didn't want to. Instead, she and granny would just send him out on an errand or other while they wrapped his homemade presents. Those, too, weren't overdone. Mostly it was clothes or sweets, which he enjoyed.

In the Seireitei, everyone got him materialistic objects he had no need for. Ukitake gave him lots of human world candy he didn't like that only wound up in Yachiru's mouth. In the Seireitei, _she _had made him simple things always. Once a picture frame, another time a nice ink well, and another time he was presented with a green scarf.

When he graduated from the Shinigami Academy, she made him a green sash for Hyorinmaru which he has as of yet to depart with.

Also, noone got drunk for his birthday in the Rukongai.

Matsumoto swaggered over to him, a lopsided grin molded onto her face. "Try some sake, Captain!" She held up the bottle for him, but put too much energy into it, so she stumbled slightly. "It's good for you~!"

He merely rolled his eyes.

Isane chose that moment to arrive. Whispering something into the buxom's ear, she sobered up immediately.

"You're kidding!" The white haired woman shook her head, and the blonde grinned even bigger. "That's fantastic! Now I can give captain the best b-day present ever~~~!"

Ok. Maybe she wasn't sober quite yet.

Grabbing his upper arm, she dragged the boy down the hall and out to the balcony. "Wait here!" and then she left.

It was quiet out. Nobody was strolling along the Seireitei's streets, and not even crickets chirped. He wondered what Matsumoto could possibly have in mind. The woman wasn't in her right mind at the moment, but then again, was she ever?

Whatever she was plotting, it was evil, he knew.

The sliding doors opened shyly, fllowed by slient footsteps. Whoever had arrived closed the door after them and hesitated. Pondering whether to abroach or not.

Deciding to risk it, the female stepped up behind him, reiatsu already masked. It certainly wasn't Matsumoto, the person clearly wasn't intoxicated. As Hitsugaya wondered, he jerked slightly in surprise as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

Pulling him in like a fish on a hook, his upper back against her chest, she leaned over slightly and kissed his cheek. "Happy birthday, Hitsugaya-kun."

He had lived with the sound of that voice for so long; he could recognize even the quietest of her voices. "Hinamori…?" His voice was but a whisper, but she could clearly hear his near soundless relief. So Matsumoto had been right. He doesn't hate her.

"What? Thought I wouldn't wake up for your birthday?" She hadn't missed a single one, and never intended to. The voice cracked from lack of use, even though all she could do was whisper. Never minding that, he was just glad for her voice again.

"Perhaps." He relaxed into her body, letting his warmth transfer to her freezing skin. Oblingingly, she tucked him in further to her embrace. He frowned slightly. "When did you wake up?"

"Just now." She murmured into his ear. The slight air coming out of her mouth tickled his ear, but he tried to fight the shiver.

"_Just _now? You can't possibly be in any condition to be walking around on your own, much less-"

"That's a good point." She agreed in a low voice. "So support me."

Turning slightly, her hold weakened and she almost fell to the ground. Hitsugaya managed to catch her, but what resulted was a rather…intimate position.

His arms were wrapped around her waist, hers around his neck. Her knees were bent, so she ended up looking up at him, while he leaned over her slightly, the tips of their noses touching.

Looking back, neither could be sure who moved first. One moment, they looked in their eyes, the next, lips touching in a sensual kiss.

Electricity zapped through their systems at the lightest contact, but faded quickly. Wanting more, they leaned closer til they were locked in place. Neither willed for the contact to break, but did part for the briefest of seconds. They kissed again, going further as their lips parted slightly. Hitsugaya's tongue gently caressed hers, bringing it to life as he massaged the moist skin in her mouth.

Pulling apart again, they stared at eachother. Eventually, she lwered her head and rested it on his chest. "Don't let go." She whispered.

Resting his head on hers, he promised, "Never again." He whispered back.

-----

**A/N: Can you say cheesey? Well, whatever. Thank you for reading. **

**This is LiveJournal's HitsuHina theme number 41: "Sing along in a whisper."**


	2. Vice Versa

**Anime/manga: Bleach**

**Pairing: Hitsugaya/Hinamori****…sort of**

**Genre: General**

**Rating:K**

**Vice Versa**

It was weird seeing her actually performing her duties as a lieutenant.

He had always known her as the happy-go-lucky girl he had met in the Rukongai. She had never acted serious for a second, no matter how exasperated he tried to look. She was just always too glad for his liking, not to mention there was nothing to be glad _for_. They were two hungry children living in poverty, never finding enough food to keep them satisfied. They were always hungry, but she persisted in laughing in smiling, never taking the situation seriously.

It didn't change even when she attended the academy for Shinigami.

She left with a smile. He had wondered if she knew what she was getting herself into. The job of the Shinigami was to _kill_. Didn't she understand the danger involved in that? You can't just kill and expect nothing to come of it. There were consequencesfor such things!

Even as she told him of how she was attacked by Hollows – real ones! – and even of how she had recklessly charged one, she never flinched. If anything, she wanted more. She smiled through the whole story.

Even when she became a Shinigami, she continued smiling.

When she actually entered the battlefield she never batted an eyelash at the thought of danger. Actually, she almost laughed.

This was when he started hearing stories about her power.

It was hard to believe, a bed wetter like herself being a killer. Everytime he tried to picture it, all he saw was a frightened young girl holding her sword the wrong way. Her being fearless was a ridiculous thought. _He_ was the one who always had to fight the bullies away! And although he would never admit it, it was a bit…lonely. If she could fight, then she didn't need him anymore, not really.

Therefore, her fighting, and being good at it, seemed completely implausible.

And it was…for a time.

As a lieutenant, she always smiled then too.

That was completely _wrong_. A lieutenant needed to be more strict than their subordinates, but her level of seriousness hadn't moved a bit. He heard all the time about her actually scaring someone so they peed their pants just by a glare. Impossible. She never glared, and, not to mention, _she_ would be the one peeing her pants.

His attention was fully captured when he saw her angry, truly angry, for the first time.

He had recited to her his thoughts on her being intimidating impossible, and she apparently took offense. Any form of mercy in her eyes vanished with the light as her face twisted so malevolently his legs started shaking. She opened her mouth to scream at him, but then thought better of it. She opted for glaring.

The look was so funny he laughed. All the muscles in his face finally relaxed and he let out a laugh so loud it could rival Saint Nick's. He laughed also out of relief. He had, for a moment, been allowed to see the famed lieutenant Hinamori he had heard so much about, rather than Bed wetter Momo he had always known.

Besides, if she could be angered beyond reason, that meant she still needed him to remind her of reason, right?

So the face down between the scowling lieutenant famed for smiling and the laughing captain famed for coldness.

Funny, wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

--

**A/N: This was the HitsuHina challenge # 46, "Vice versa".**


	3. His Gift

**Genre: Romance/Friendship/slightly angst**

**Rating: K+**

**Characters: Momo Hinamori**

**Theme: #21, "His Gift"**

**A/N: This is AU in that Momo left Soul Society before Ichigo met Rukia. She's talking to Ishida. Well, if Ishida sensed a shinigami, he'd confront it right? There will most likely be one or two sequels to this.**

**His Gift**

Ever since the day I met him, I knew he was special.

I had been found by Hitsugaya-kun in a blizzard. I was lost, confused and hungry. I was so tired, I collapsed on the spot. It was really cold and I was being covered by the snow. In all respects, it should have been impossible to find me. But he did, and by the way he looked it was like he was deliberately looking for me.

He brought me home with grandma, and we were happy for a long, long time. One day, a shinigami found me and told me I had reiatsu. That I needed to go to the academy to control it and help other people. That was when I figured out what was up with Hitsugaya-kun. He had reiatsu! But he's so much stronger than me so why hadn't the shinigami recognized his gift first?

I decided to join. I really wanted Hitsugaya-kun to go, and he followed me around a lot, so if I went there, he would come after me, right? He came, and I was happy that he followed me. I just found out before I left that place that Rangiku-san was the one to convince him to go, so I wasn't important enough for him to follow. But that's okay! He came and that's what matters, right?

Huh? Oh, I'm fine Ishida-kun! I'm fine. Really. Just a bit nostalgic, that's it.

So anyways, he was really strong. Stronger than I thought he would be. Better than what anyone thought. He rised through the ranks faster than I did, and I was really fast! But that worried me, because that meant that there was a better and better chance of him getting hurt. So when captain Aizen said he needed a new lieutenant, I panicked. If he got that position, then he would be in serious danger.

I took the exam. I passed. I secured the position, making sure he didn't get it. I guess that was kind of jinxed, since he became a captain pretty soon after that.

But you know something? He didn't even tell me he had bankai! I asked him, "Shiro-chan, why didn't you tell me?"

He said, "It was nothing of your concern. And don't call me Shiro-chan."

It was the coldest thing he had ever said to me. It was mean, wouldn't you agree? Especially considering that it was the last thing he ever said to me.

Anyhow, I left soon after anyways. I performed illegal kidou, so I was scared they'd execute me. Yoruichi-san found me in her cat form, and said I could stay with a friend of hers. I left Soul Society, and I haven't seen him since.

Don't worry about me, that was six years ago. I've been living in the material world ever since. Urahara-san helped me get my bankai, and Yoruichi-san has helped me home my skills in shunpo and hand to hand combat. I'm much stronger now! Captain level even!

I doubt I'm stronger than him. He does have a gift after all!

Why do I care so much? Well, my heart's desire always was to give him his.


	4. Disconnected

**Title: **Disconnected

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Pairing:** Hitsugaya/Hinamori

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Rating: **K+

**Genre:**General/Angst(?)

**Theme:**#92, "Two of a kind"

**A/N: **An old drabble I found collecting dust a while ago. I'm not sure when I wrote it, but its nice, so here it is. The last one had no real dialogue. This one is only dialogue. Quite a switch if you ask me.

"_The most important part of communication is to hear what isn't said" – Oscar Wilde_

**Disconnected**

"Shiro-chan, get down from there! You're not allowed up there! Granny said so!"

' _I'm worried you'll fall. Please come down.'_

"Granny never said that, so don't make things up. I'll climb whatever tree I want!"

'_I'll be fine, don't worry. I'm stronger than you think, you know.'_

--

"You're too reckless Hinamori. If you hadn't deliberately gotten in the way, you wouldn't have gotten hurt."

'_These wounds are unnecessary. You worried me a lot.'_

"There was a child there."

'_What else was I supposed to do?'_

"You could have stopped it some other way."

'_But still…'_

"I'm fine. No worries."

'_Thanks for worrying.'_

--

"Hina…mori…?"

'_No…it can't be…please no…'_

'…'

'_She's gone…really gone…'_

--

"She's waiting for someone to call out for her, to need her. Won't you say something?"

"The current me has nothing to say."

'_What could I say? "I miss you, get better soon"? How could I?"_

"Current?"

"…Excuse me."

'_You wouldn't understand.'_

--

**A/N: That was Unohana at the end there, with Hitsugaya. If you don't know what was going on, then I suggest you finish the Soul Society arc before commenting. Just a thought.**

**Hope you enjoyed.**


	5. On Being Anything

**Title: **On Being Anything

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Pairing:** Hitsugaya/Hinamori(?)

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Rating: **K

**Genre:** Angst

**Theme:**#24, Esquisite Runaway

**A/N: **I liiiiiivvveee!

**On Being Anything**

The door slid shut behind her, and she absently closed the lock, too. There was not much time left, and there was very little for her to take.

Opening a closet, she pulled out a bag. The shopkeeper in the human world had explained that people usually put in sports equipment since it was so large. She had had a different idea when she bought it with a thanks and smile, but she had never thought that she was actually going to do it. It had been something she'd been toying with for…a while. She had put the sports bag in the closet at the bottom, out of the way but not inconspicuous if anyone looked through her rooms.

Sometimes, at night, she pulled it out a looked at it. Some days, she put things in before pulling them back out. Some days, she opened and closed the zippers. Some days, she didn't dare touch it.

Some days, some days.

Even today, she wasn't sure if this was another game.

The sun could set and rise all it cared to, but she remained the same. It had been this way for a while. The repetition, the boredom that came with it was starting to drive her nuts. She made promises to herself in the morning that by night she regretted, being unable to either keep them or to pull an all night-er to try to (and failing anyways).

_I'll train every day, and regain and exceed my strength!_

_I'll get more caught up on the paperwork so the others won't be so stressed!_

_Kira-kun was looking a little down today…I'll make him a nice lunch to cheer him up!_

Once, it had all meant something, she's sure.

Civilian clothes. Money. Soul candy. It had all meant something, once.

Now, it was all she needed.

Humans were gullible. One could live in a country, and if they were careful to avoid authorities, could live there without truly belonging. Stingy landlords won't think twice if you offer enough money; the country was small anyways. Small but packed.

They would never find her.

The feeling of her old uniform sliding off her skin was somehow liberating.

She changed into her dress, a sky blue with cartoon ocean waves lining the bottom, a yellow and red cloth wrapped around the waist, and a straw wide brimmed hat with an all red ribbon. All of it was made to clash with her zanpakutou tucked into the waist cloth, but anyone without sight would be unaware.

Anyone with it would feel paranoid, as they had their whole life.

She unlocked and slid open the door. The sun was just beginning to rise, but it was cold, the light was cold, just as she felt. Even so, she began to head out.

Notes? Who needed a note? They all would get it, would all nod knowingly and wonder why she didn't leave earlier.

She turned to her right and headed that way. No need for notes. No need to close the door.

"Is running away really going to accomplish anything?"

Hitsugaya.

"Hinamori."

The one person who would not understand. The paradox was that he knew better than the others, but he refused to believe it.

She didn't turn around.

He continued to talk to her back.

"How long have you been planning this? Did you even think to talk to anyone about this?"

Yes, actually.

"Then again, you've always been this way. You talk and you talk about nothing, and you bottle up everything that is important. We're here, we've always been here."

Aizen hadn't been nothing.

Aizen had been anything.

"What is this going to do? You've been running away for years, Hinamori. It's about time that you moved on."

That is exactly what she was doing. Moving on.

She left.


	6. In the Dead of Night

**Title: **In the Dead of Night

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Pairing:** kind of sort of Hitsugaya/Hinamori

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Rating: **K+

**Genre: **Angst, light Romance (I really need to stop…)

**Theme: **#5, "Until the End"

**A/N: **Some traditions need to die. Others should have lived, but urbanization saw to that.

**In the Dead of Night**

If she cast her mind back really far, Momo Hinamori could actually recall being alive.

She had lived in the uncertain but beautiful time of the Warring States Period in her precious Nihon-koku. A simple farmer's daughter who didn't live to see a wedding day of her own, had been lucky once to attend a noblewoman's. The lavish event, with kimono patterns and lanterns and the aromic scent of incense was something she forever remembered and dreamed of in the dead of night.

Every girl in the village would giggle and whisper in groups when they thought her parents weren't looking. A world of light and laughter and all of it for the lady. It was mystical and they all couldn't wait.

The picture perfect wedding was traditional, the ceremony covering every aspect of life the couple would face. The exact ritual even covered fertility of all things, causing poor Momo to start blushing like no tomorrow.

After her demise, during the nights she would lie awake in her new home and think of the noble lady, remaining aloof her entire life until that night. When she stole smiles at her female attendants and exchanged laughter with her husband, she had been more flustered and more human than she had ever seen her before.

Even as a child, that was more beautiful than seeing her ride through the village on her throne.

The last visit to Japan had been as she had expected. No one knew the local history beyond the scandals, the shrines were under-kept and all of the other Shinigamis on duty kept trying to talk her into buying the fancy gold watch for Hitsugaya. Like it would do him any good.

"I'm not interested in any of that world. We've long left it behind," Toshiro would run his fingers through her hair and reassure her, but it didn't make it better.

Japan had killed Nihon-koku.

Her wedding was modest, with nothing more than a small party with friends and signing that small form. She lightly teased Toshiro on his girly handwriting, and everyone enjoyed themselves.

Still…

In the dead of night, she dreamed of the noblewoman's wedding, aloof until then and hopefully happy for long after.

In the dead of night, she dreamed of Nihon-koku.


	7. Room to Breathe

**Title: **Room to Breathe

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Pairing:** one-sided Hitsugaya/Hinamori

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Rating: **K+

**Genre: **Angst

**Theme: **#59, Solo, Duo

**A/N: **The next one will be funny, I swear!

**Room to Breathe**

A ship in port is safe, but that is not what ships are for.

- Grace Hopper

"You know," Hinamori came up to Hitsugaya one day, with a little more of a bounce in her step and healthier skin, "I think I'm ready to take most of my work back."

"Are you sure?" He was alarmed, scared almost. "I don't think you've recovered enough. You still look really pale. Shouldn't you rest more?"

She pouted a little, like a child. "Hypocrite! You look like you haven't slept in ten years." She had regained her sense of humour. This was progress, right?

"You can have _some_ back, until you prove to me you can handle more." His ice green eyes narrowed, but she wasn't deterred.

With a non-committed hum, she stole away with 25% of the paperwork pile. When she left her office to quickly check out a ruckus, Hitsugaya stole back 10%.

"What were you thinking?" Hitsugaya gripped her arm a little too tightly. She gasped lightly, but he didn't care. It would merely bruise.

One day, he had found her training hard.

"I was thinking," she grit her teeth, "of regaining my strength."

Hitsugaya narrowed his eyes, but she wasn't deterred.

"You're not ready for that yet!"

"Then when, Hitsugaya?" She cried out to him, tears pooling in the corners of her eyes. "When?"

He shook his head and closed his eyes. "Maybe never." He spat out. "It's not like you earned that position. Aizen gave it to you so he could control the division, after all." When he reopened them, she looked hurt…and angry.

Soundlessly, she pushed him off and ran away. She had regained her spirit.

That was a good thing, right?

They didn't speak for a week.

Matsumoto gave up on pacing the room and surrendered by throwing her arms up. "Then what do you want me to do?"

"Talk to her," Hitsugaya placed both hands on his desk and leaned forwards. "I can't seem to get through to Hinamori; it has to be you."

"For what, Captain?" Her legs were spread apart, hands on hips, looking crossed and puzzled and something he refuses to acknowledge. "She's gotten so much better so quickly, why don't you trust her?"

Something inside of him cracked. He hung his head, "I don't know her anymore."

The older woman sighed, pity gracing her features harshly. "I'm not sure you ever did, Captain."

It was on a chilly morning, when he had just stepped out of his chambers that Hinamori was there. She sat on the railing with her back to him, kicking feet into nothing. It was almost violent, how quiet she was.

Even so…

"What do you think you're doing? You're going to fall off!"

He took several steps towards her, but froze when she looked at him, complacent to a fault.

"So what?" She questioned. "There was once a time when I thought you were cute."

White and red. He knew that already. It was why he had kept on working, for some acknowledgment that he was strong too.

"You kind of still are, I guess." She swung her legs over the railing to the right side and stepped on. Hands clasped behind her back, she walked away slowly. Stopping and letting go, Hinamori with an apathetic face said, "You've always been this way. I just never noticed it.

"I'm sorry, Captain, but I need room to breathe."

It all fell away.

**Bleach Pairings Contest **

**Huh, guess we'll have a second round after all! Please sign up in the Season Two Interest Sheet!**

**In this contest, you will be given a week's worth of time and a pairing to write. The pairing can be anything from yaoi, yuri, het., Hueco Mundo, Soul Society, whatever. Anything at all! Love knows no bounds! ...Anyways, the oneshot will be posted and a five day voting period will follow. The person with the smallest number of votes is eliminated. This goes on until one author reigns triumphant over all!**

Please consider joining~


	8. days like this

**Title: **days like this;;;

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Anime/manga: **Bleach

**Pairing:** Hitsugaya/Hinamori

**Rating: **K

**Genre: **General

**Theme: **#67: Just beyond distance

**A/N: **So I just had a long, unexpected break from writing fanfiction, and I'm glad for it. I feel better about writing now than I have in a long time. I'll be focusing on this in order to get my groove back, and then finishing my other stuff, but I'm not writing for Bleach again after this. Except a few oneshots. Maybe.

**days like this;;;**

A landscape presents itself to them, and it is the stuff poets make a living off of. A gentle breeze rustles leaves, the grass is as bright as the sky, and an idealistic mountain all set the mood. He could make a lengthy story on the serenity of the scene, but there was no need to. The only one he wanted to share it with was right beside him.

As he glances over, she remains transfixed by the scene for a moment longer. Eventually she catches on and catches his gaze. She's calmer than she's been in a while. It reassures him that what he says next won't be laughed at.

"There aren't many days like this," he says quietly. She agrees.

Their eyes stayed locked. Her eyes see deep into his, and he is again reassured by the fact that his can do the same. When she decides the distance between their eyes is too much, he welcomes her easily. It is, after all, a very special day.


	9. send me a miracle

**Title: **send me a miracle

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Pairing: **Hitsugaya/Hinamori

**Rating: **K

**Genre: **Humour, General

**Theme: **#72, "Send me a miracle"

**A/N: **I had fun writing the last line with the theme in mind.

**send me a miracle**

She looks surprisingly good in black. He, not so much.

"It's so weird to see you in uniform", Hinamori giggled as only she can, and he ignores it in favour of wondering how she got into his room to begin with. He asks and she waves it off, and he'll have to accept it now because she's poking her head into every available space as though she had never seen four walls before.

"Why, is it because you don't like me being here?" He asks bitterly instead. She quickly realizes her mistake when the tone manages to squeeze itself between the closet wall and her ear and into her head.

Hinamori turns to her old friend quickly. "That's not it at all!" She bolts over to bow several times in apology in his face, and he wants to push her off so, so badly. It's all very old, and very childish. "You hated it when I went to the Academy and graduated with the uniform, but I wanted you to be happy too but I knew you wouldn't because we wouldn't see each other all that often anymore and you never told me you were going to go until I went ot visit and you weren't there and I'm really not going to get used to seeing you like this!" She gasped heavily, to catch her breath. Her eyes were wide, like a fish's, staring staring staring.

He kind of wanted to tell her to stop that too, but then realized explaining would be a bigger headache than just getting her to go, even if it wasn't nice.

"Shiro-chan looks so much more adult like this," she continued, "like you'll be really strong one day."

Hitsugaya tried to fight it down, but heat spread across his face and neck before he could stop it. It was the first time in a while that Hinamori has paid him a compliment.

"But you're still so short, I almost can't imagine it!" She scratched the back of her head and laughed like it was nothing. Like it. Was. Nothing. As she laughed, Hinamori managed to miss may crucial signs that she should be leaving, such as the frost on the windows, a sudden drop in temperature and a growing scowl. She got the message well enough when he booted her out of the door.

That entire spectacle…well, Hitsugaya didn't know what it was about but it was starting to get tedious. He sighed and scratched the back of his head Hinamori style since he didn't know what else to do. Hopefully, once this phase of childhood stupidity passed she might not have to think of him as a child anymore.

All he needed was to grow taller.


	10. Silly Notions

**Title: **Silly Notions

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Pairing: **Hitsugaya/Hinamori

**Rating: **K+

**Genre: **Angst

**Theme: **#34, "It's okay, it's all right"

**A/N: **So I'm flip-flopping like mad between genres, it's starting to get ridiculous. Next thing you know, I'm writing a Western…

**Silly Notions**

_It's okay. It's okay. It's okay._

It will all end.

The war, the losing, the noise, the stress.

_It's okay. It's all right. It's okay._

The reassurances, the glances, the touches, the kisses.

_It's okay. It's all right._

Every

thing.

"Won't you realize," Hitsugaya asked her once, "that this will never end?" Then he kissed her, one hand under her chin and the other on the floor next to her leg.

This warmth too.

Everything will E N…D….


	11. The Cost of Time Apart

**Title: **The Cost of Time Apart

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Pairing: **Hitsugaya/Hinamori

**Rating: **K, K+…?

**Genre: **Famirrrryyyy, Friendshiiiiiipp, Sadneeessss

**Theme: **#8, "Longing of Childhood"

**A/N: **I seem to be incapable of writing anything happy for them.

**The Cost of Time Apart**

In the human world, when a person has suffered a mortal wound and survived, there will usually be some sort of disability they'd have to contend with for the rest of their lives. For example, say you fell down some stairs and broke your spine at the bottom. On the off chance that you survive, doctors say that it's likely are you will never walk again. Regardless of if they're proven wrong or not, in the Seireitei as a Shinigami, the worst you get with being impaled on the off chance that you survive is some rehabilitation.

The healers had repaired all of the damage to her body while she had been under. The worst of the damage had been done to her spinal cord, which Unohana had taken care of herself, funnily enough. Hinamori, when asked _why_ she though it was funny, had no real answer.

She didn't have a real answer for much, nowadays.

Illusions shattered and faced with nothing but the cold reality of having been lied to, Hinamori took it surprisingly well. Something cold overtook the look in her eyes though; it took the edge off her normally clear gaze. Hitsugaya was too far away to offer any real comfort. If he raised his hand and tried to reach her, he'd just touch the screen. It would be cold under his hand. Then again, judging by how pale she was, it might feel the same as her.

In the evening, she returns to the Fourth Division for a check up and leg exercises. At the moment, she had the third seat running drills for the division, because just walking took too much out of her. She needed to relearn how to walk, Unohana had said. Even in death, the spine controlled the body's ability to move. After having it severed, her body lost touch with her brain, and needed to start over from scratch. With her division's help, she will make a complete recovery and eventually reach her former ability completely.

It was difficult, especially considering her schedule. She only had time for rehab in the evenings, while during the day and a great deal of the night, she was managing the Fifth's crumbling interior affairs.

She should really thank Hitsugaya for his help, huh.

In the fitful sleep she does get, she dreams of him. During the times when she notices the sun setting, she remembers them. She recalls the little boy and girl, and the tall grass they used to run through to play hide and seek in. At least when he was in a good enough mood to act like a child.

His grumpy face that used to make her laugh…

She wants to see it again. More than that though, she wants to be the one to go to meet him there.

…She still has a lot of work to do.


	12. Sliding Scale of Honesty

**Title: **Sliding Scale of Honesty

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Pairing: **Hitsugaya/Hinamori

**Rating: **Oh, I don't know…K+?

**Genre: **Friendship, and the general feels that come with change.

**Theme: **#62, "a hundred and one promises"

**A/N: **This one was harder than I expected. Not a big fan of lists, but this way I don't have to actually write a story! So the thing about this one is some of these are verbal promises, others internal. Some by Hitsugaya, some by Hinamori. Some are obvious, some are ambiguous. Some like action films, others like westerns.

**Sliding Scale of Honesty**

I promise I won't hurt you.

I promise this bread is good.

I promise grandma will take you in too.

I promise I know the way back.

I promise I'll get you back safe.

I promise you'll always be wanted here.

I promise to make you some hot soup tomorrow.

…I promise to make better hot soup tomorrow.

I promise to help you find some new shoes tomorrow.

As the big sister, I promise to protect you!

I promise to work hard so we can afford that.

I promise to scare away the bugs at night for you.

I promise I won't go out again without telling you.

I promise to bring you with next time.

I promise he's not actually that mean!

I promise to finish my apple next time.

I promise to stop spitting seeds at you.

I promise to stop spitting seeds at you.

I promise to stop spitting seeds at you.

I promise to stop spitting seeds at you.

I promise to stop spitting seeds at you.

I promise to stop calling you Shiro if you'll stop spitting seeds at me.

I promise I'll be back soon!

I promise we'll have time to play tomorrow.

I promise not to tell grandma about how you wet th—

I promise I'll become strong.

I promise to write back and come visit sometimes!

I promise I won't forget about you.

I promise I never forgot about you, really!

I promise to come visit for the new year, okay?

I promise to come with you next time.

I promise to become strong.

I promise I'll get my powers under control.

I promise to meet you there.

I promise to throw a biiiiiiig party when you make it in!

I promise to visit you at the academy every now and then!

I…promise to leave you alone then.

I promise I won't give up.

I promise to keep pushing myself, no matter what.

I promise I'll be powerful.

I promise to master all of the shinigami skills.

I promise to achieve bankai.

I promise to become a captain.

I promise to be a captain even better than Aizen.

I promise to become strong enough to be by your side in battle.

I promise to protect you.

I promise to be at your graduation.

I promise to stand by your side as a fellow shinigami!

I promise to visit you in your division often.

I promise to sing you lullabies to help you sleep when the older kids bully y- OW!

I promise to advance through the ranks faster than you.

I promise to stop calling you Shiro.

I promise to stop spitting seeds at you.

I promise to make your next birthday special.

I promise to spend your next birthday with you alone.

I promise to improve my swordsmanship.

I promise to practice with you.

I promise not to go easy on you.

…I promise to practice more.

I promise I won't drink anything.

I promise to bring you back a souvenir.

I promise to bring you some of those treats the next time I go.

I promise to go visit grandma with you.

I promise to support you through vice-captainship.

If you ever need help, I promise to be there for you.

I promise that no matter what ranks we end up at, we'll always be friends.

I promise to be captain, for your sake.

I promise to be careful.

I, ah, promise to take better care of myself.

…and I promise to not take needless risks from now on either.

Ok, ok, I promise to learn some more healing kidou too.

…and how to apply regular bandages.

…AND more defensive fighting. Am I done now?

I promise to call you 'captain' from now on.

Jinx! I promise to call you 'Hitsugaya-kun'.

I promise to call you 'Hinamori', so just call me 'captain' already.

I promise to stop 'coming out of nowhere', as you put it, so just get down from there already.

Heh, promise that those outsiders won't get the best of me!

I promise to be more careful around captain Kuchiki.

I promise to keep an eye on Ichimaru.

I promise to find his killer for you.

I promise to stop Ichimaru for you.

I promise to keep you safe.

_I promise to avenge you._

I promise to have a proper talk with you later.

I promise to cherish the memories of our childhood.

I promise to be honest with you.

I promise to have a proper talk with you _later._

I promise to believe in you unconditionally from now on.

I promise to apologize properly.

I promise I won't let the past govern me today.

I promise to recover my strength.

I promise to become stronger.

I promise to become someone who can protect you.

I promise I won't be a hindrance to you anymore.

I promise to become someone you'll want by your side.

I promise to be a better friend than I was before.

I promise to make better decisions.

I promise to make wiser promises

and fewer promises.

I promise to always lo-


	13. wasting the night away

**Title: **wasting the night away

**Author: **Full Shadow Alchemist

**Fandom: **Bleach

**Pairing: **Hitsugaya/Hinamori

**Rating: **K

**Genre: **General feels

**Theme: **#37, "Explosions in the sky"

**A/N:** Present versus past tense, what even.

**wasting the night away**

Whoever thought of applying kidou to fireworks was really an idiot, so Hitsugaya said. Never mind the new colour combinations, or the new shapes they made with it, the lunatic must have been drunker than Matsumoto is on a bad night (or a good night, like she called them. As far as he was concerned, any night where she drinks enough to knock herself out is a bad night). It was impressive, he'll admit that much, but it's certainly not practically worth the effort. He cringes just thinking about how much time was wasted on it, never mind the scorched hair and burns that must have been involved.

So really, he has no interest whatsoever in seeing the fireworks on his birthday. A birthday is just a day, after all. His plans had been to sleep, work, have a nice meal maybe, and sleep. He had already steeled himself for anything that anyone had planned to ruin those plans. No badgering from Ukitake, or teasing from the third seat, or crocodile tears from _goddamn Hinamori_ would sway him from his path.

It is none of these people who coax him outside, but a surprisingly sober Matsumoto. She does it by telling him about how one day in a year, one hour in a day won't ruin the rest of his life, and how sad Hinamori would be if he didn't indulge himself even a little, and he resents her as he gives in, because his imagination draws up better images of the deep seated disappointment Hinamori would have in her eyes than Matsumoto could ever describe.

The fireworks are large, and there's one more person on the rooftop than he had expected. Even so, he might have been able to call the scenery warm.

Putting your time and mind into making better fireworks is still a waste. The night's events did nothing to change his mind about that. Yet if that was the case, then Hitsugaya had ended up wasting an hour watching Hinamori, until he decided that the purple fireworks lit her up the best.


End file.
